Megan Ellis / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android Authority has been able to enable settings in Google Keep that refer to lock screen note fucntionality.
- The functionality doesn’t currently work, even once enabled in settings.
- We last saw Google working toward a feature like this in late 2023. An official release timeline remains unknown.
A couple of years ago, we published evidence that Android 14 was laying the groundwork to let users take quick notes in Google Keep using a new lock screen shortcut. That feature never publicly materialized, but now it seems like Google’s taking another crack at it.
Experimenting with the latest version of Google Keep, we were able to see hidden settings that reference lock screen notes. The feature isn’t actually working yet, but it does look like it could be released any time now.
Back in late 2023, Android 14’s developer settings let users set a default app for note-taking. Once you’d done that, you could set a lock screen shortcut to quickly take notes. Google Keep was eligible to be that app, but it never actually supported the functionality — calling the app up using the shortcut only showed a message that said Keep needed an update.
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In the latest version 5.26.181.01.90 of Google Keep, we’ve again been able to access settings that refer to this lock screen notes functionality. We’re not able to actually take notes from the lock screen yet; trying to do so leads to a screen that says “Coming soon.”
Judging by the settings, Keep will let you choose how long to keep a note taken from the lock screen active: there are options to start a new note each time you access Keep from the lock screen, or to return to the same note for five minutes, two hours, the whole day, or always.
A couple of new strings in Keep’s code even mention lock screen notes by name:
Code
<string name="first_open_prompt_title">New! Lock screen notes with Google Keep</string>Code
<string name="first_open_prompt_body">Instantly capture your thoughts right on your lock screen. Notes created here are automatically saved to Keep.</string>The previous iteration of this feature also included options to open your default note-taking app when pressing a button on a paired stylus. We haven’t seen that particular functionality in this latest version.
We don’t know when this option will make its way to our devices, and it’s possible Google could change course again, delaying or scrapping the idea altogether. I’m hoping we see it soon: being able to jot down quick notes without unlocking my phone would definitely make Keep more useful for me, personally.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Not yet. Android Authority enabled hidden settings referencing the feature, but it does not work, and trying to use it leads to a screen that says Coming soon.
Judging by the settings, you can start a new note each time you access Keep from the lock screen, or return to the same note for five minutes, two hours, the whole day, or always.
Yes, in late 2023 Android 14 laid the groundwork for a lock screen note-taking shortcut, but Google Keep never supported the functionality at that time.
Code strings in Keep say notes created on the lock screen are automatically saved to Keep.
